EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Tom Peters/Global Leaders Africa
Summit/22June2006.PART1
“It is not the strongest
of the species that
survives, nor the most
intelligent, but the
one most responsive
to change.”
—Charles Darwin
Slides at …
tompeters.com
EXCELLENCE
REVIVED
MISCELLANEOUS
TOPICS
All You
Need to
Know*
*more or less
InnoTac:
Innovation Tactics
The
Irreducible209
EXCELLENCE
REVIVED
EXCELLENCE.
STARTERS.
Radio City Music Hall
September 2005
Franchise Lost!
TP:
“How many of you
[600]
crave
really
a new Chevy?”
NYC/IIR/061205
Did one of ’em ever turn to
the other and say: “Wow, I
wonder what unimaginable
new tools, otherwise not
possible, will be brought
forth for my daughter
Alice, age 17, because
of this deal?”
P.P.E.E.R.R.E.
People.
Product.
Execution.
Enthusiasm.
Relentless.
Re-invent.
Excellence.
EXCELLENCE.
THE WORD.
Synonyms
Purity
Transcendence
Virtue
Elegance
Majesty
Antonyms
Mediocrity
EXCELLENCE.
GAMECHANGER1982.
Excellence1982: The Bedrock “Eight Basics”
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
A Bias for Action
Close to the Customer
Autonomy and Entrepreneurship
Productivity Through People
Hands On, Value-Driven
Stick to the Knitting
Simple Form, Lean Staff
Simultaneous Loose-Tight
Properties”
What is In Search of Excellence all about:
People. Emotion. Engagement.
Exuberance. Action-Execution.
Empowerment. Independence. Initiative.
Imagination. Great Stories. Incredible
Adventures. Trust. Caring. Fun. Joy.
Customer-centrism. Profit. Growth.
“Brand You.” “Dramatic Differences.”
Experiences that Make You “Gasp.”
Excellence. Always.
ExIn*: 1982-2002/Forbes.com
DJIA: $10,000 yields $85,000
EI: $10,000 yields $140,050
*Forbes/Excellence Index /Basket of 32 publicly traded stocks
EXCELLENCE.
CAUSES.
ADVERSARIES.
Hardball: Are You Playing to Play or Playing to Win? by
George Stalk & Rob Lachenauer/HBS Press
“The winners in business have always played hardball.”
“Unleash massive and overwhelming force.” “Exploit
anomalies.” “Threaten your competitor’s profit
sanctuaries.” “Entice your competitor into retreat.”
Approximately 640 Index entries: Customer/s
(service, retention, loyalty),
worker/s),
0.
4.
People (employees, motivation, morale,
Innovation (product development, research &
development, new products),
0.
M.I.A.*: Talk. (Present.) Listen. (Interview.)
Sell. (Life = Sales.) Do. (Execution-Implementation.)
Talent. (Recruit-Develop-Retain.) Project
Management. (Create. Solicit support.
Execution. Adoption-Client “Culture Change.”)
Product. (“It.”) Innovation. (Design.
Creativity. “Buzz-building.” Politics.) Leadership.
(USMA, etc.) E.Q. (Connect.) “Culture”
Change. (Lasting impact.) Diversity. (Crosscultural Effectiveness.) Career Creation.
(Brand You life-lifestyle.) Wellness. (Life.)
*B.Schools (“M.I.A.” or at most “B.I.A.”—barely in action)
Causes/1966-2006
Implementation/Small Wins
(Stanford GSB/PhD thesis;
1st on implementation per se)
EXCELLENCE (as a worthy business pursuit)
Management Style/Corporate Culture
Soft “Ss”/7-S (Waterman-Peters complete “business model”;
waaaaay beyond Strategy & Structure)
Structure > Strategy (“We shape our structures, then they shape
us …”—Churchillian paraphrase)
Soft Change Levers (> structure; symbols, patterns & settings)
Close to the Customer (novel idea, circa 1982)
MBWA (Managing By Wandering Around—courtesy a much
more intimate than today HP)
Productivity through People (novel idea, circa 1982)
Chaos/Crazy Times Call for Crazy Organizations
Middle-sized companies are cool
Re-imagine!/Innovate or Die!
Small-ish/Scale & Synergy limits-delusions/anti-Big
Mergers
Causes/1966-2006
Women/Market opportunity
Women/Leaders (right for the times)
Design/Design-as-soul
Wow! (Hot language)
Weird!
Passion!/Enthusiasm!/Exuberance! (as Leader Lever #1)
Brand You (or else)
PSF = Bedrock (add value or bust—every group must
demonstrate economic viability)
PSF + Brand You + WOW Projects = New Biz Logic
Sales/+R > -C (increasing revenue more important than cutting cost)
HealthCare/Wellness-Safety-H5N1
Brand = Talent (best roster wins)
New VA Ladder/Products-Services-SOLUTIONSEXPERIENCES-DREAMKETING (Dream Marketing)-LOVEMARK
Different > > Better
Boomers & Geezers/marketing to new “mega-segment”
Adversaries
B-schools (crappy at soft skills, implementation, leadership)
Strategy-is-all
By-the-numbers management
Dis-passionate management
Focus groups
Intuition discounted
Leading as an intellectual task
Leading without passion
Cool language in Hot times
Dilbert (accepting cubicle slavery)
Bigness per se (severe scale limitations—even at Microsoft)
White guys! (not really, but enough already)
18-44 emphasis in marketing (geezers > youth for foreseeable future)
-Cost > +Revenue (cost cutting more important than organic revenue
growth)
CI (continuous improvement in an age of discontinuous world)
LESS THAN THE NO-HOLDS-BARRED PURSUIT OF
EXCELLENCE
EXCELLENCE.
RE-DEFINED.
“It is not the strongest
of the species that
survives, nor the most
intelligent, but the
one most responsive
to change.”
—Charles Darwin
SET
THE
AGENDA.* (Period.)
Great Companies …
* “disturb the sleep of …
AGENDA SETTERS: “Set the Table”/
Pioneers/ Questors/ Adventurers
US Steel … Ford … Toyota … Sears …
GM … ITT … The Gap … Limited …
Wal*Mart … Tesco … P&G … 3M …
Intel … IBM … Apple … Nokia …
Cisco … Dell … MCI … Sun …
Microsoft … Google … Enron …
Schwab … GE … Laker … Southwest
… People Express … Ogilvy … Virgin
… eBay … Amazon … Sony …
Amgen … BMW … CNN … Nike
Built to Last vs Built for Impact
“But what if [former head of strategic planning at Royal
Dutch Shell] Arie De Geus is wrong in suggesting, in The
Living Company, that firms should aspire to live
forever? Greatness is fleeting and, for corporations, it
The ultimate
aim of a business organization, an
artist, an athlete or a stockbroker
may be to explode in a dramatic
frenzy of value creation during a
short space of time, rather than to
live forever.”
will become ever more fleeting.
—Kjell Nordström and Jonas Ridderstråle, Funky Business
EXCELLENCE.
RENOVATION2006.
X06/Excellence2006: The Bedrock Baker’s Dozen
1. A Bias For Action/Culture of Execution = Job One!
2. DECENTRALIZATION! ACCOUNTABILITY!
3. Fail. Forward. Fast.
4. Velocity! Tempo! “Metabolic Management” Matters!
5. INNOVATE … or Die.
6. A Damn Good Product. A Damn Cool Product.
7. Ride the Value Added Curve to the Sky: Insure
“Gamechanging Solutions”; Provide “Spellbinding
Experiences”; Become a “Dream Merchant”; Strive to Be
a “Lovemark;” Seek “Tattoo Brand” status.
8. Relentlessly Pursue the “Big Two” Markets: Women,
Boomers & Geezers.
9. Best Talent Wins! Women Rule! HR at the Head Table!
10. Educate for Creativity, Entrepreneurship & “Brand You”
Independence.
11. Demanded: Radical Technology Strategies!
12. Passion! Enthusiasm! Energy! Excitement! Relentlessness!
13. No Less Than EXCELLENCE. Ever.
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
“Why in the
world did
you go to
Siberia?”
The Peters
Principles: Enthusiasm.
Emotion. Excellence. Energy.
Excitement. Service. Growth.
Creativity. Imagination. Vitality.
Joy. Surprise. Independence.
Spirit. Community. Limitless
human potential. Diversity. Profit.
Innovation. Design. Quality.
Entrepreneurialism. Wow.
An emotional,
vital, innovative, joyful, creative,
entrepreneurial endeavor that
elicits maximum concerted
human potential in the
wholehearted service
of others.***
Business* ** (*at its best):
**Excellence. Always.
***Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Communities, Owners, Temporary partners
The
Ultimate
Business:
Creative
Endeavor.
The
Ultimate
Business:
Personal
DevelopmentGrowth
Experience.
The
Ultimate
Business:
Transcendent
Service
Opportunity.
EXCELLENCE.
YOU & ME.
“In Tom’s world, it’s
always better to try a
swan dive and deliver a
colossal belly flop than
to step timidly off the
board while holding
your nose.”
—Fast Company /October2003
“This is the true joy of Life, the
being used for a purpose
recognized by yourself as a
mighty one … the being a force of
Nature instead of a feverish,
selfish little clod of ailments
and grievances complaining that
the world will not devote itself
to making you happy.”
—GB Shaw/Man and Superman
“My only goal is to
have no goals. The
goal, every time, is
that film, that very
moment.”
—Bernardo Bertolucci
“Life is not a journey to the
grave with the intention of
arriving safely in a pretty and
well-preserved body—but
rather a skid in broadside,
thoroughly used up, totally
worn out, and loudly
proclaiming, ‘Wow, what
a ride!’ ” —anon.
EXCELLENCE.
TRANSCENDENCE.
THRILLS.
Radically Thrilling Language!
“Radically
Thrilling.”
—BMW Z4 (ad)
C
O*
*Chief Thrills Officer
Synonyms
Purity
Transcendence
Virtue
Elegance
Majesty
Antonyms
Mediocrity
C
O*
*Chief Transcendence Officer
EXCELLENCE.
WOW. NOW.
C
O*
*Chief WOW Officer
C
*Chief
O
!
Officer
“It’s always
showtime.”
—David D’Alessandro, Career Warfare
EXCELLENCE.
LET.
US.
MARCH.
“In classical times when
Cicero had finished speaking,
the people said, ‘How well he
spoke,’ but when
Demosthenes had finished
speaking, they said, ‘Let
march.’”
us
—Adlai Stevenson
“Never doubt that a small
group of committed
people can change the
world. Indeed it is
the only thing that ever
has.”
—Margaret Mead
EXCELLENCE.
You only find
oil if you
drill wells.
IT’s always
showtime.
let us
march.
EXCELLE
ALWAYS
MISCELLANEOUS
TOPICS
A FEW
LESSONS
FROM THE
ARTS
A Few Lessons from the Arts
Each hired and developed and evaluated in unique ways
(23 contributors; 23 unique contributions; 23 pathways; 23 personalities; 23 sets of
motivators)
Attitude/Enthusiasm/Energy paramount
Re-lent-less!
“Practice is cool” (G Leonard/Mastery)
Team and individual
Aspire to EXCELLENCE = Obvious
Ex-e-cu-tion
Talent = Brand
“The Project” rules
Emotional language
Bit players. None.
B.I.W.
Different events = Different rosters
MARCUS
BUCKINGHAM
“The mediocre manager believes that most
things are learnable and therefore that the
essence of management is to identify ach
person’s weaker areas and eradicate them.
The great manager believes the opposite.
He believes that the most influential
qualities of a person are innate and
therefore that the essence of management
is to deploy these innate qualities as
effectively as possible and so drive
performance.” —Marcus Buckingham, The One
Thing You Need to Know
“The key difference between
checkers and chess is that in
checkers the pieces all move
the same way, whereas in chess
all the pieces move differently.
… Discover what is unique
about each person and
capitalize on it.” —Marcus Buckingham,
The One Thing You Need to Know
“No matter what the situation,
[the great manager’s] first response is
always to think about the
individual concerned and how
things can be arranged to help
that individual experience
success.” —Marcus Buckingham,
The One Thing You Need to Know
“The one thing you need
to know about sustained
individual success:
Discover what you don’t
like doing and stop doing
it.” —Marcus Buckingham, The One Thing You Need to
Know
Stating the Obvious:
THE PROBLEM
IS RARELY THE
PROBLEM.
THE PROBLEM IS
RARELY/NEVER THE
PROBLEM. THE
RESPONSE TO THE
PROBLEM INVARIABLY
ENDS UP BEING THE
REAL PROBLEM
OFTEN AS
NOT/MORE OFTEN
THAN NOT THE
UNDERLYING
PROBLEM IS NOT
MUCH OF A
PROBLEM.
PERCEPTION
IS ALL THERE
IS. PERIOD.
THERE
ONCE WAS A TIME WHEN
A THREE-MINUTE PHONE
CALL WOULD HAVE
AVOIDED SETTING OFF
THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL
THAT RESULTED IN A
COMPLETE RUPTURE.
Relationships
(of all varieties):
POWER WORDS!
“I’m sorry.”
First-level
Scientific
Success:
Beyond Brains
Tom Peters/14April2006
First-level Scientific Success
The “smartest guy
in the room wins”
Or …
First-level Scientific Success
Fanaticism
Persistence-Dogged Tenacity
Patience (long haul/decades)-Impatience (in a hurry/”do it yesterday”)
Passion
Energy
Relentlessness (Grant-ian)
Enthusiasm
Driven (nuts!)
(Brutal?) Competitiveness
Entrepreneurial
Pragmatic (R.F!A.)
Scrounge (“gets” the logistics-infrastructure bit)
Master of Politics (internal-external)
Tactical Genius
Pursuit of (Oceanic) Excellence!
High EQ/Skillful in Attracting + Keeping Talent/Magnetic
Prolific (“ground up more pig brains”)
Egocentric
Sense of History-Destiny
Futuristic-In the Moment
Mono-dimensional (“Work-life balance”? Ha!)
Exceptionally Intelligent
Exceptionally Clever (methodological shortcuts/methodological genius)
Luck
UBIQUITOUS
“POLITICS”
“A man of great mediocrity.” —General George Patton
about General Omar Bradley …… “A third-rate general. He
never did anything or won any battle that any other
general could not have won as well or better.” —General
Omar Bradley about Sir Bernard Montgomery …… “If you
want to end the war in any reasonable time, you will have
to remove Ike’s hand from the control of the land battle.”
—Sir Bernard Montgomery about General Dwight
Eisenhower …… “One thing that might help win this war is
to get someone to shoot King.” —General Dwight
Eisenhower about Admiral Ernest King …… “Eisenhower,
though supposed to be running the land war, is on the
golf links at Rhiems—entirely detached and taking
practically no part in running the war.” —Sir Alan Brooke
…… “If the unhelpful British attitude continues, then I
shall go home.” —General Dwight Eisenhower
Source: David Irving, The War Between the Generals: Inside the Allied High Command
Happy 50!
26April2006
Malcom McLean
Containerization
Lessons
Need-driven
A thousand “parents”
Messy
Evolutionary
“Trivial”
Experimentation
trial &
ERROR
Loooong time for systemic adaptation/s
(many innovations) (bill of lading, standard time)
Not …
“Plan-driven”
The product of “Strategic Thinking/Planning”
The product of “focus groups”
Get mad. Do
something
about it. Now.
All You
Need to
Know*
*more or less
All You
Need to
Know*
*more or less
Tom Peters/Global Leaders Africa Summit/
Johannesburg/22June2006.PART 1
For
Taddy
The key question isn’t ‘What fosters
creativity?’ But it is why in God’s name
isn’t everyone creative? Where was
the human potential lost? How was it
crippled? I think therefore a
good question might be not
why do people create? But
why do people not create or
innovate? We have got to abandon
that sense of amazement in the face of
creativity, as if it were a miracle if
anybody created anything.” —Abe Maslow
REPRISE
“I don’t
know.”
Source: Karl Weick
Leadership’s Mt Everest
“free to do his or her
absolute best” …
“allow its members to
discover their
greatness.”
“The role of the Director
is to create a space
where the actor or
actress can become
more than they’ve ever
been before, more than
they’ve dreamed of
being.” —Robert Altman, Oscar acceptance
“In the end, management
doesn’t change culture.
Management
invites
the workforce itself to
change the culture.”
—Lou Gerstner
“We are a
‘life Success
Company”’
—Dave Linegar, founder, RE/MAX
Brand =
Talent.
Our Mission
To develop and manage talent;
to apply that talent,
throughout the world,
for the benefit of clients;
to do so in partnership;
to do so with profit.
WPP
DD$21M
“The two most
powerful things in
existence: a kind word
and a thoughtful
gesture.”
—Ken Langone
“Hard is soft.
Soft is hard.”*
*In Search of Excellence
“The First step in a
‘dramatic’
‘organizational change
program’ is obvious—
dramatic personal
change!” —RG
“To change minds
effectively, leaders make
particular use
of two tools: the stories
that they tell and
the lives that they
lead.”
Changing Minds
—Howard Gardner,
ONWARD
Conformity
“To grow, companies need
to break out of a vicious
cycle of competitive
benchmarking and
imitation.”
—W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne,
“Think for Yourself —Stop Copying a Rival,” Financial Times/08.11.03
Conformity II
“The Bottleneck is at
the Top of the Bottle”
“Where are you likely to find people with the least diversity of
experience, the largest investment in the past, and the greatest
reverence for industry dogma?
At the top!”
— Gary Hamel/“Strategy or Revolution”/Harvard Business Review
Action
“We have a
‘strategic’
plan. It’s called
doing things.”
— Herb Kelleher
“This is so simple it sounds stupid, but it is amazing
you
only find oil if you
drill wells.
how few oil people really understand that
You may think you’re
finding it when you’re drawing maps and
studying logs, but you have to drill.”
Source: The Hunters, by John Masters,
Canadian O & G wildcatter (80%)
Screw It Up
“Fail.
Forward.
Fast.”
–High-tech Exec/PA
Create
“A focus on cost-cutting and efficiency
has helped many organizations weather
the downturn, but this approach will
Only
the constant pursuit of
innovation can ensure
long-term success.”
ultimately render them obsolete.
—Daniel Muzyka, Dean, Sauder School of Business,
Univ of British Columbia (FT/09.17.04)
“Acquisitions are about
buying market share. Our
challenge is to create
markets. There is a big
difference.”
—Peter Job, CEO, Reuters
“[Immelt] is now identifying
technologies with which GE
systematically
set out to build
entirely new
industries”
will …
—Strategy+Business, Fall 2005
What “We” Know “For Sure” About Innovation
Big mergers [by & large] don’t work
Scale is over-rated
Strategic planning is the last refuge of scoundrels
Focus groups are counter-productive
“Built to last” is a chimera (stupid)
Success kills
“Forgetting” is impossible
Re-imagine is a charming idea
“Orderly innovation process” is an oxymoronic phrase
(= Believed only by morons with ox-like brains)
“Tipping points” are easy to identify …
long after they will do you any good
“Facts” aren’t
All information making it to the top is filtered
to the point of danger and hilarity
“Success stories” are the illusions of egomaniacs (and “gurus”)
If you believe the memoirs of CEOs you should be institutionalized
“Herd behavior” (XYZ is “hot”) is ubiquitous
… and amusing
“Top teams” are “Dittoheads”
CEOs have little effect on performance
“Expert” prediction is rarely better than rolling the dice
Revenue
“Analysts … preferred cost cutting, as long as
they could see two or three years of EPS growth. I preached revenue
and the analysts’ eyes would glaze over. Now revenue is ‘in’ because
They
said, ‘Oh my gosh, you
need revenues to grow
earnings over time.’
Well, Duh!”
so many got caught, and earnings went to hell.
—Dick Kovacevich, Wells Fargo
C
*Chief
O*
Revenue
Officer
Sell
Sell
“Everyone
lives by selling
something.”
.
– Robert Louis Stevenson
Sell
Sell
“TAKE THIS QUICK QUIZ: Who manages more
things at once? Who puts more effort into their
appearance? Who usually takes care of the
details? Who finds it easier to meet new
people? Who asks more questions in a
conversation? Who is a better listener? Who
has more interest in communication skills?
Who is more inclined to get involved? Who
encourages harmony and agreement? Who has
better intuition? Who works with a longer ‘to
do’ list? Who enjoys a recap to the day’s
events? Who is better at keeping in touch with
others?”
Source: Selling Is a Woman’s Game: 15 POWERFUL REASONS WHY
WOMEN CAN OUTSELL MEN, Nicki Joy & Susan Kane-Benson
Bonus:
TP.27 …
on Selling
(Short) (Personal)
Out-prepare!! (huge time commitment!)
Learn the “culture”
Practice!
Care-Empathy
Listen-Empathetic listening (SC)
“Listen”-Body language
K.I.S.S. (1-page summary. 1 = 1.)
Enthusiasm-ENERGY-“Authenticity”!!
OBVIOUS belief in product
Selling: Solution-Success-Experience-Dream come true-Love-Dramatic Difference
Selling: Better STORY! (“Best story wins”)
Selling: Yourself! (Brand you)
“Obvious” Wow!
No exaggeration!
Spell out commitments!
SIMPLE timeline
Sell “inside”-First! Thorough!
Relationships-“Way down”!!
Time!!!! (Eg, build trust)
Ooze integrity
Introduce to rest of team, esp “mechanics”
SBWA (5K for 5M)
Remember: Close!
Gotta-make-a-profit (be ready to walk away!)
“Good loss”
Don’t dis competitors!!
Make her-him-target SUCCESSFUL (in a personal way)
Women Buy
Women Lead
“Women are
the majority
market”
—Fara Warner/The Power of the Purse
1. Men and women are different.
2. Very different.
3. VERY, VERY DIFFERENT.
4. Women & Men have a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y
nothing in common.
5. Women buy lotsa stuff.
6. WOMEN BUY A-L-L THE STUFF.
7. Women’s Market = Opportunity No. 1.
8. Men are (STILL) in charge.
9. MEN ARE … TOTALLY, HOPELESSLY
CLUELESS ABOUT WOMEN.
10. Women’s Market = Opportunity No. 1.
The Perfect Answer
Jill and Jack buy
slacks in black…
10. Women’s
Market =
Opportunity
No. 1.
Cases!
McDonald’s (“mom-centered” to “majority consumer”; not
via kids)
Home Depot (“Do it [everything!] Herself”)
P&G (more than “house cleaner”)
DeBeers (“right-hand rings”/$4B)
AXA Financial
Kodak (women = “emotional centers of the household”)
Nike (> jock endorsements; new def sports; majority consumer)
Avon
Bratz (young girls want “friends,” not a blond stereotype)
Source: Fara Warner/The Power of the Purse
“AS
LEADERS,
WOMEN
RULE:
New Studies find that
female managers outshine their male
counterparts in almost every measure”
Title, Special Report/BusinessWeek
“Forget China,
India and the
Internet: Economic
Growth Is Driven
by Women.”
—Headline, Economist,
April 15, 2006, Leader, page 14
Add It Up!
Doing it right (“Men buy things that other
men will buy for women. I buy things that women
want.”—successful jeweler/F)
Greater workforce/global
participation rate (“bigger contributor
to GDP growth than technology, China, India”)
Higher wages (more seniority,
promotions—even if not to CEO)
Women-owned businesses
(answer to the Glass Ceiling)
Valueadded
And …
MasterCard
Advisors
Valueadded II
“ ‘Disintermediation’ is overrated. Those who fear
disintermediation should in fact be afraid of
irrelevance—disintermediation is just another way
you’ve
become
irrelevant to your
customers.”
of saying that …
—John Battelle/Point/Advertising Age/07.05
Chicago:
HRMAC
“support
function” / “cost
center”/
“overhead”
or …
Are you …
“Rock
Stars of the
Age of
Talent”
Answer: Professional Service Firm/PSF!
Department Head
to …
Managing Partner,
IS [HR, R&D, etc.] Inc.
“Game-changing Solutions”:
Core Mechanism
PSF
(Professional Service Firm “model”)
+
Wow Projects
(“Different” vs “Better”)
+
Brand You
(“Distinct” or “Extinct”)
Answer:
PSF Transformation: Credit Department/Trek
Was
Is
Credit Dept
Financial Services
Hammer on dealers until
they pay
Make dealers successful so they
CAN pay
AR sold to 3rd party
commercial co.
Trek is the commercial financial
Company
23 employees
12 employees
Oversee peak AR of $70M
Oversee peak AR of $160M
Identify risky dealers
Identify opportunities
Cost Center
Profit Center
No products
Products: Consulting, MC/Visa,
Stored value of gift cards, Gift card
peripherals, Online payments
Source: John Burke/0330.06
The Value-added Ladder/Opportunity-seeking
Gamechanging
Solutions
Services
Goods
Raw Materials
Experience
This is not a
“mature
category.”
This is an
“undistinguished
category.”
7X. 730A800P.
F12A.*
*’93-’03/10 yr annual return: CB: 29%; WM: 17%;
HD: 16%. Mkt Cap: 48% p.a.
“It’s simple, really,
Tom. Hire for s,
and, above all,
promote for s.”
—Starbucks middle manager/field
C
*Chief e
O*
Xperience Officer
The Value-added Ladder/Memorable Connection
Spellbinding
Experiences
Gamechanging Solutions
Services
Goods
Raw Materials
Dreams
Furniture vs. Dreams
“We do not sell ‘furniture’ at Domain.
We sell dreams. This is
accomplished by addressing the halfformed needs in our customers’
heads. By uncovering these needs,
we, in essence, fill in the blanks. We
convert ‘needs’ into ‘dreams.’
Sales are the inevitable
result.”
— Judy George, Domain Home Fashions
The Value-added Ladder/Emotion
Dreams Come True
Spellbinding Experiences
Gamechanging Solutions
Services
Goods
Raw Materials
C
*Chief Dream Merchant
Love
Kevin Roberts:
Lovemarks!
Top 10 “Tattoo Brands”*
Harley .… 18.9%
Disney .... 14.8
Coke …. 7.7
Google .... 6.6
Pepsi .... 6.1
Rolex …. 5.6
Nike …. 4.6
Adidas …. 3.1
Absolut …. 2.6
Nintendo …. 1.5
*BRANDsense: Build Powerful Brands through Touch,
Taste, Smell, Sight, and Sound, Martin Lindstrom
Tattoo Brand: What %
of users would tattoo the
brand name on their body?
C
O*
*Chief Lovemark Officer
Lovemark
Dreams Come True
Spellbinding Experiences
Gamechanging Solutions
Services
Goods
Raw Materials
“We don’t have a good language to talk
about this kind of thing. In most people’s
vocabularies, design means veneer. … But
to me, nothing could be further from the
Design is
the fundamental
soul of a man-made creation.”
meaning of design.
Steve Jobs
Focus
“Dennis, you
need a ‘Todon’t ’ List !”
“I used to have a rule for myself that at
any point in time I wanted to have in
mind — as it so happens, also in
writing, on a little card I carried
around with me — the three big things
I was trying to get done.
Three.
Not two.
Not four. Not five. Not ten. Three.”
— Richard Haass, The Power to Persuade
K.I.S.S.
“The art of war does not
require complicated
maneuvers; the simplest are
the best, and common sense
is fundamental. From which
one might wonder how it is
generals make blunders; it is
because they try to be
clever.” —Napoleon on Simplicity, from
Napoleon on Project Management by Jerry Manas.
450/8
Danger:
S.I.O.
(Strategic Initiative Overload)
“One bank is currently
claiming to … ‘leverage its global
footprint to provide effective financial
solutions for its customers by providing
a gateway to diverse markets.”
—Charles Handy
“I assume that it is just
saying that it is there to
‘help its customers
wherever they are’.”
—Charles Handy
Change
“If you don’t like
change, you’re
going to like
irrelevance even
less.”
—General Eric Shinseki, Chief of Staff. U. S. Army
“I’m not
comfortable
unless I’m
uncomfortable.”
—Jay
Chiat
Change II
We become
who we hang
out with!
Measure “Strangeness”/Portfolio Quality
Staff
Consultants
Vendors
Out-sourcing Partners (#, Quality)
Innovation Alliance Partners
Customers
Competitors (who we “benchmark” against)
Strategic Initiatives
Product Portfolio (LineEx v. Leap)
IS/IT Projects
HQ Location
Lunch Mates
Language
Board
“Don’t
benchmark,
futuremark!”
Impetus: “The future is already here; it’s just
not evenly distributed” —William Gibson
Change III/
BigChange
No Wiggle Room!
“Incrementalism
is innovation’s
worst enemy.”
Nicholas Negroponte
“Beware of the tyranny of
making Small Changes to
Small Things. Rather, make
Big Changes to
Big Things.”
—Roger Enrico,
former Chairman, PepsiCo
Five MYTHS About Changing Behavior
*Crisis is a powerful impetus for change
*Change is motivated by fear
*The facts will set us free
*Small, gradual changes
are always easier to
make and sustain
*We can’t change because our brains become
“hardwired” early in life
Source: Fast Company/05.2005
Big
Bigger
Biggest
??????
“I don’t believe in economies of
You don’t get
better by being
bigger. You get
worse.”
scale.
—Dick Kovacevich/
Wells Fargo/Forbes/08.04 (ROA: Wells, 1.7%;
Citi, 1.5%; BofA, 1.3%; J.P. Morgan Chase, 0.9%)
“Forbes100” from 1917 to 1987: 39
members of the Class of ’17 were
alive in ’87; 18 in ’87 F100; 18 F100
“survivors” underperformed the
market by 20%; just 2 (2%), GE &
Kodak, outperformed the market
1917 to 1987.
S&P 500 from 1957 to 1997: 74 members of the Class of ’57
were alive in ’97; 12 (2.4%) of 500 outperformed the market from
1957 to 1997.
Source: Dick Foster & Sarah Kaplan, Creative Destruction:
Why Companies That Are Built to Last Underperform the Market
“I am often asked by would-be entrepreneurs
seeking escape from life within huge corporate
structures, ‘How do I build a small firm for
Buy
a very large one
and just wait.”
myself?’ The answer seems obvious:
—Paul Ormerod, Why Most Things Fail:
Evolution, Extinction and Economics
New Economy?!
Genentech09,
Amgen09
> Merck09
(70K-3/394B-5)
Lessons
De-central-iza-tion!
Ex-ecu-tion!
Ac-counta-bil-ity!
6:15A.M.
Agressive
“[Other]
admirals more
frightened of
losing than
anxious to win”
Nelson’s secret:
Tempo
He who has the
quickest O.O.D.A.
Loops* wins!
*Observe. Orient. Decide. Act. / Col. John Boyd
Kevin &
Richard
Kevin Roberts’ Credo
1. Ready. Fire! Aim.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
If it ain’t broke ... Break it!
Hire crazies.
Ask dumb questions.
Pursue failure.
Lead, follow ... or get out of the way!
Spread confusion.
Ditch your office.
Read odd stuff.
10. Avoid moderation!
Sir Richard’s Rules:
Follow your passions.
Keep it simple.
Get the best people to help you.
Re-create yourself.
Play.
Passion &
Enthusiasm
“Nothing is so
contagious as
enthusiasm.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“I am a
dispenser of
enthusiasm.”
—Ben Zander
Enthusiasm …
the ultimate
virus
“A man without
a smiling face
must not open a
shop.”
—Chinese Proverb*
*Courtesy Tom Morris, The Art of Achievement
Hustle
“Most important,
upped the
energy level
he
at Motorola.”
—Fortune on Ed Zander/08.05
Sunny
“A leader is
a dealer in
hope.”
Napoleon
Sunny II
“Ronald Reagan
radiated an
almost
transcendent
happiness.”
—Lou Cannon
Aim High
The greatest danger
for most of us
is not that our aim is
too high
and we miss it,
but that it is
too low
and we reach it.
Michelangelo
Dream
“Tell me, what
is it you plan to
do with your
one wild and
precious life?”
—Mary Oliver
HTSH: Engage!*
Commit! Engage! Try! Fail! Get up! Try
again! Fail again! Try again! But never,
ever stop moving on! Progress for
humanity is engendered by those who join
and savor the fray by giving one hundred
percent of themselves to their dreams!
Not by those timid souls who remain
glued to the sidelines, stifled by tradition,
and fearful of losing face or giving offense
to the reigning authorities.
Key words: Commit! Engage! Try! Fail! Persist!
*HTST/Hands That Shape Humanity, Tom Peters’
contribution to a Bishop Tutu Foundation traveling exhibit
InnoTac:
Innovation Tactics
PART ONE:
INNOVATION
TACTICS
Tom Peters on …
Innovation
tactics
Premises I
“A focus on cost-cutting and efficiency has
helped many organizations weather the
downturn, but this approach will ultimately
Only the
constant pursuit of
innovation can ensure
long-term success.”
render them obsolete.
—Daniel Muzyka, Dean, Sauder School of Business,
Univ of British Columbia (FT/09.17.04)
“I am often asked by would-be entrepreneurs
seeking escape from life within huge corporate
structures, ‘How do I build a small firm for
Buy
a very large one
and just wait.”
myself?’ The answer seems obvious:
—Paul Ormerod, Why Most Things Fail:
Evolution, Extinction and Economics
More than $$$$
#1 R&D
spending,
last 25 years?
GM
Premises II
What “We” Know “For Sure” About Innovation
Big mergers [by & large] don’t work
Scale is over-rated
Strategic planning is the last refuge of scoundrels
Focus groups are counter-productive
“Built to last” is a chimera (stupid)
Success kills
“Forgetting” is impossible
Re-imagine is a charming idea
“Orderly innovation process” is an oxymoronic phrase
(= Believed only by morons with ox-like brains)
“Tipping points” are easy to identify …
long after they will do you any good
“Facts” aren’t
All information making it to the top is filtered
to the point of danger and hilarity
“Success stories” are the illusions of egomaniacs (and “gurus”)
If you believe the memoirs of CEOs you should be institutionalized
“Herd behavior” (XYZ is “hot”) is ubiquitous
… and amusing
“Top teams” are “Dittoheads”
CEOs have little effect on performance
“Expert” prediction is rarely better than rolling the dice
Try It
“This is so simple it sounds stupid, but it is amazing
you
only find oil if you
drill wells.
how few oil people really understand that
You may think you’re
finding it when you’re drawing maps and
studying logs, but you have to drill.”
Source: The Hunters, by John Masters,
Canadian O & G wildcatter (80%)
“While many people big oil finds
with big companies, over the years
about 80 percent of the oil
found in the United States has been
brought in by wildcatters such
as Mr Findley, says Larry Nation,
spokesman for the American
Association of Petroleum
Geologists.” —WSJ, “Wildcat Producer Sparks Oil
Boom in Montana,” 0405.2006
“We made mistakes. Most of them were
omissions we didn’t think of when we initially
wrote the software. We fixed them by doing it
over and over, again and again. We do the
same today: While our competitors are still
sucking their thumbs trying to make the
design perfect, we’re already on prototype
version No. 5. By the time our rivals are
ready with wires and screws, we are on
version
No. 10. It gets back to
planning versus acting: We
act from day one; others plan
how to plan—for months.”
—Bloomberg by Bloomberg
“The secret of fast
progress is
inefficiency, fast
and furious and
numerous failures.”
—Kevin Kelly
Culture of Prototyping
“Effective prototyping may be
the most valuable core
competence an innovative
organization can hope to have.”
Michael Schrage
Think about It!?
Innovation =
Reaction to the
Prototype
Michael Schrage
“We are in a
brawl with no
rules.”
—Paul Allaire
S.A.V.
Screw Around Vigorously
Screw It Up
“Fail faster.
Succeed
sooner.”
David Kelley/IDEO
Fail.
Forward.
Fast.
–High-tech Exec/PA
“FAIL, FAIL
AGAIN. FAIL
BETTER.”
—Samuel Beckett
“Reward excellent
failures. Punish
mediocre
successes.”
Phil Daniels, Sydney exec
Read This!
Richard Farson & Ralph Keyes:
Whoever Makes
the Most Mistakes
Wins: The Paradox
of Innovation
Sam’s
Secret
#1!
“Tom, very
simple. Sam was
not afraid to
fail.”
—David Glass to TP, on the occasion of
Sam’s induction into The Sales & Marketing Hall of Fame
Plan B
"I think it is very important
for you to do two things:
act on your temporary
conviction as if it was a
real conviction; and when
you realize that you are
wrong, correct course very
quickly.” —Andy Grove
“The most
successful people
are those who
are good at plan B.”
—James Yorke, mathematician, on chaos theory
in The New Scientist
Parallel
Universe
Build a “School on top
of a school” (The Parallel
Universe Strategy)
B.School Innovation Strategies: Exec
Ed/Continuing Ed (fewer restraints).
Web (fewer restraints). “Parallel
Universe” approach (JKC/Bob S)!
Recruit “weird” (in places you
can get away with it—eg, students,
continuing ed faculty lesser admin jobs)!
Message: LOOK FOR/EXPLOIT
THE “WEAK” (Unregulated) SPOTS!
Jill Ker Conway/Smith
1. Scour for renegades;
wine & dine.
2. Go outside for funds.
Change? Ha! Try: End Run!
Build Your Own! Period!
“We’re never going to
persuade the
conservatives to accept
[our view]. We
need to build our own
institutions.” —anon.
Parallel
Universe/
Venture Fund
“Venture” fund
(E.g. Gerstner/Amex,
Dow/Marriott, Grove/Intel,
Bedbury/Starbucks)
2/50*
*Scott Bedbury/Starbucks/<1%/<4 of 400/
grabbed best/all wanted to be there/2%-50%
Shell
“Game Changer”
10% of technical budget “set
aside and used to fund
promising but nontraditional
ideas through a staged
funding process similar to that
used by venture capitalists”
Source: Financial Times/08.2003
We Are
What
We Eat
We become
who we hang
out with!
Measure “Strangeness”/Portfolio Quality
Staff
Consultants
Vendors
Out-sourcing Partners (#, Quality)
Innovation Alliance Partners
Customers
Competitors (who we “benchmark” against)
Strategic Initiatives
Product Portfolio (LineEx v. Leap)
IS/IT Projects
HQ Location
Lunch Mates
Language
Board
Requirement:
Discomfort
“I’m not comfortable
unless I’m
uncomfortable.”
—Jay Chiat
Find ’em
“Some people look for
things that went
wrong and try to fix
them. I look for
things that went
right, and try to
build off them.”
—Bob Stone (Mr
ReGo)
“Somewhere in your
organization, groups of
people are already doing
things differently and
better. To create lasting
change, find these areas
of positive deviance and
fan the flames.” —Richard Tanner
Pascale & Jerry Sternin, “Your Company’s Secret
Change Agents,” HBR
Sing Them
Demos!
Heroes!
Stories!
REAL Org Change: Demos & Models (“Model
Installations,” “ReGo Labs”)/ Heroes (mostly extant: “burned to
reinvent gov’t”)/ Stories & Storytellers (Props!)/
Chroniclers (Writers, Videographers, Pamphleteers, Etc.)/
Cheerleaders & Recognition (Pos>>Neg, Volume)/
New Language (Hot/Emotional/WOW)/ Seekers
(networking mania)/ Protectors/ Support Groups/
End Runs—“Pull Strategy” (weird alliances, weird
customers, weird suppliers, weird alumnae-JKC)/ Field “Real
People” Focus (3 COs) (long way away)/
Speed (O.O.D.A. Loops—act before the “bad guys” can react)
C.f., Bob Stone, Lessons from an Uncivil Servant
Stories … Paint me a
picture … Story
“infrastructure” … Demos …
Quick prototypes …
Experiments … Heroes …
Renegades … Skunkworks …
Demo Funds … V.C. … G.M. …
Roster … Portfolio … Stone’s
Rules … JKC’s Rules
“My mission is
that of a mole—
my existence only
to be known by
upheavals.” —Jan Morris,
Fisher’s Face, Or, Getting to Know the Admiral
Org Structure
Core Mechanism:
“Game-changing Solutions”
PSF
(Professional Service Firm “model”/The Organizing Principle)
+
Brand You
(“Distinct” or “Extinct”/The Talent)
+
Wow! Projects
(“Different” vs “Better”/The Work)
Band of
Brothers
(& Sisters!)
“Never doubt that a
small group of
committed people
can change the
world. Indeed it is
the only thing that
ever has.”
—Margaret Mead
Hard is soft.
Soft is hard.
First-level Scientific Success
The smartest guy
in the room wins”
Or …
First-level Scientific Success
Fanaticism
Persistence-Dogged Tenacity
Patience (long haul/decades)-Impatience (in a hurry/”do it yesterday”)
Passion
Energy
Relentlessness (Grant-ian)
Enthusiasm
Driven (nuts!)
(Brutal?) Competitiveness
Entrepreneurial
Pragmatic (R.F!A.)
Scrounge (“gets” the logistics-infrastructure bit)
Master of Politics (internal-external)
Tactical Genius
Pursuit of (Oceanic) Excellence!
High EQ/Skillful in Attracting + Keeping Talent/Magnetic
Prolific (“ground up more pig brains”)
Egocentric
Sense of History-Destiny
Futuristic-In the Moment
Mono-dimensional (“Work-life balance”? Ha!)
Exceptionally Intelligent
Exceptionally Clever (methodological shortcuts/methodological genius)
Luck
Hard is soft.
Soft is hard.
“Most important,
upped the
energy level at
he
Motorola.”
—Fortune on Ed Zander/08.05
4/40
De-central-iza-tion!
Ex-ecu-tion!
Ac-counta-bil-ity!
6:15A.M.
Bossidy on
EXECUTION
“I saw that leaders placed too much
emphasis on what some call highlevel strategy, on intellectualizing and
philosophizing, and not enough on
implementation. People would agree
on a project or initiative, and then
nothing would come of it.” —Larry Bossidy
& Ram Charan/Execution: The Discipline
of Getting Things Done
“Execution is
the job of the
business
leader.”
—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“Execution is a
systematic
process
of rigorously
discussing hows and whats, tenaciously
following through, and ensuring
accountability.”
—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“Realism is
the heart of
execution.”
—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/Execution:
The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“robust
dialogue”
—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“GE has set a standard
of candor. … There is no
puffery. … There isn’t an
ounce of denial in the
place.” —Kevin Sharer, CEO Amgen,
on the “GE mystique” (Fortune)
“The person who is a little less conceptual but is
absolutely determined to succeed will usually find the
right people and get them together to achieve
objectives. I’m not knocking education or looking for
But if you have to choose
between someone with a staggering IQ
and an elite education who’s gliding
along, and someone with a lower IQ but
who is absolutely determined to
succeed, you’ll always do better with
the second person.” —Larry Bossidy/
dumb people.
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
Duct Tape Rules!
“Andrew Higgins, who built landing craft
in WWII, refused to hire graduates of
engineering schools. He believed that
they only teach you what you can’t do in
engineering school. He started off with 20
employees, and by the middle of the war
had 30,000 working for him. He turned out
20,000 landing craft. D.D. Eisenhower told
me, ‘Andrew Higgins won the war for us.
He did it without engineers.’ ”
—Stephen Ambrose/Fast Company
The Leader’s Seven Essential Behaviors
*Know your people and your
business
*Insist on realism
*Set clear goals and priorities
*Follow through
*Reward the doers
*Expand people’s capabilities
*Know yourself
Source: Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan, Execution:
The Discipline of Getting Things Done
Action8/VPMR+/Peters on Bossidy
*External Focus (Competitors/Customers)
*Realism/Truth-telling
*Vision
*Projects (Must add up to Vision)
*Milestones
*Commitment/Energy
*RapidReview
*Consequences (+/-)
Inno64:
Innovation
Strategies
& Tactics
Parallel universe /Exec Ed v res MBA
End run regnant powers/JKC
Find done deals-practicing mavericks/Stone
Bell curves/2016 in 2006
Non-industry benchmarking
Everything = Portfolio
V.C.s all!
Hot language/Wow-Astonish me-Insanely
great-immortal-Make something great
Lead customers/PW-Embraer
Lead suppliers /Top decile R&D
Weird alliances
Mottos/Paul Arden (“Whatever You Think Think
the Opposite”)
Hire freaks/Enough weird people?
Weird Boards!!!
CEO track record of Innovation (nobody starts
at 45!)
System/GE-Immelt
“Strategic thrust overlay”
Calendar
Big Change easier than Small
MBWA with freaks-weirdos/JKC
MBWA/Boonies’ labs
V.C.-formal/Intel
Acquire weird
Children’s crusade
Go Global at any size
Stop listening to customers
Talent!/Unusual sources-Hire innovators-V.C.s
Eschew giant mergers
Remember: scale economies max out early
Assisted suicide! (“Built to last” = Chimerasnare-delusion)
Burn your press clippings
“Forgetting” “strategy”
Fire all strategic planners
Tempo!
Final product bears little relation to starting
notion
Design! Design! Design! (“culture,” not
program)
All innovation: Pissed-off people
Gut feel rules!
Focus groups stink
Weird focus groups okay
Be-Do philosophy
Celebrations
Culture-little as well as big Inno (“everyonean-innovator”)
Life = Wow Projects
Acknowledge messiness-pursue serendipity
(Blitzkrieg-Containers-Science-Utterback)
R.F.A.
Culture of execution
4/40: decentralization, execution,
accountability, 615AM
EVP (S.O.U.B.)/Systems-process “un-design”
Diversity for diversity’s sake
Women-Women-Women/CUSTOMERs (they
“are the market,” not a “segment”)LEADERS
Boomers-Geezers (“all the money”)
CRO (Chief Revenue Officer) “culture”/topline obsessed
CIO (Chief INNOVATION Officer)
Laughter
Facility-space configuration
EXPERIMENTS-PROTOTYPES
“Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre
successes.”
Bizarrely high incentives (& penalties)
We are what we eat/We are who we hang out
with (E.g.: Staff-Consultants-Vendors-Out-sourcing
Partners/#, Quality-Innovation Alliance PartnersCustomers-Competitors/who we “benchmark” against
-Strategic Initiatives -Product Portfolio/LineEx v.
Leap-IS/IT Projects-HQ Location-Lunch MatesLanguage-Board)
The
Irreducible209
A frustrated participant at a seminar for investment bankers in Mauritius listened
impatiently to my explanation of differences of opinion among me, Mike Porter,
“What,
if anything,” he asked,
“do you believe ‘for
sure’?”
Gary Hamel, Jim Collins, etc. Finally, he’d had enough.
I mumbled something, but his query started rumbling
around in my mind. Three days later, wandering on a Sunday in London, the idea of
“the irreducibles” occurred to
me—and I started jotting down notes on stuff I do indeed believe “for sure.” Before
I knew it, a few days later, the list had grown to 209 items. Hence “The
Irreducible209” that follows.
Tom Peters
1.
2.
3.
4.
Hare 1, Tortoise 0. (Hare-y times.)
Tempo. (O.O.D.A.)
MBWA.
Appreciation. (“Motivator” #1.)
(Can’t be faked. Good.)
5. Decency.
6. Hurry.
7. Time out.
8. One matters.
9. Big change. Short time. (Alt not work.)
10. Excellence. Always.
11. Passion. Energy. Hustle. Enthusiasm.
Exuberance. (Move mountains. No alt.)
12. You must care.
13. Emotion.
14. Hard is soft. (Soft is hard.)
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
Men. Women. Different. Contend. Connect.
Women. Buy. All. (RU listening?)
Quality. (“Mind-blowing.” Beyond 6-Sigma.)
Re-invent. Re-pot. (Required.)
Jaywalk.
Big change. Small # of people. (Always.)
Experiment. Now.
Failure. Normal.
Most failures, most success.
(Fail. Forward. Fast.)
24. “Reward excellent failures. Punish
mediocre successes.”
25. Women leaders. (Altered times.)
26. Extremism. (Good business. Bad politics.)
27. Innovation source. Only. Extreme irritation.
28. Smile.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
You must care.
Mentor. (Highest ROI.)
Best “roster” wins.
Wow. (Okay in biz.)
We all have customers. (Biz. Personal.)
All contacts = Experiences.
Cirque du Soleil. (Peerless.)
Leaders create space for growth.
Quests. (Only.)
High aspirations, “high” results.
(Self-fulfilling prophecy.)
39. Attitude 1, Skills 0. (Mostly.)
(Attitude 1, Skill 0.3?)
40. Sometimes: Skill 1, Attitude 0.1.
41. Must “love,” not “like.”
42. Wegman’s.” (No excuses. “Mere” groceries.)
43. Less than your best. Cheating.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
Brand You. (No alt.)
Self-sufficiency. (Biggest LT turn-on.)
In the moment.
The moment wins.
Tomorrow = Never.
Action 1, Plan 0.1.
“Execution” can be a “system.”
Realism.
Own up. Move on.
Accountability.
Work hard > Work smart. (Mostly.)
Feedback. Necessary. Fast. (R.F.A. in
“RFA times.”)
56. Customers. Listen. Lead. (Paradox.)
57. “On stage.” Always. (GW, FDR, RG =
Supreme actors.)
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
Master statistical analysis.
Excellence = Set the table.
Legacy. (Will it have mattered?)
“Great.” (Why not?)
Radicals rule. (Think … Olympics.)
!!! = Good.
Red 1, Brown 0. (Red times.)
Talk. Listen. (“Big 2.” Master.)
Politics. (Normal-inevitable state
of affairs. Master.)
67. Student. Forever.
68. “Why?” (Question #1.)
69. Don’t belittle.
70. Respect.
71. All we have: this moment.
(“Moments matter most”?)
72. Now. (Procrastination. Death.)
73.
74.
75.
76.
Exercise.
Paint. (Leader. Portraits of Excellence.)
Best story wins.
“You must be the change you wish
to see in the world.”
77. Two “big ones.” Max. (Priorities.)
78. No “I” in Team. (“I” in Win.)
79. “I” in Win. (No “I” in Team.)
80. Different 1, Better 0. (Better = 0.1)
81. Imitation = Mistake. (Learn, from who?)
82. Choose/battle the “right” competitor.
83. Schools. Creativity. Entrepreneurship.
(Not.)
84. MBAs. Creativity. Entrepreneurship.
Leadership. (Not.)
85. Design. Under-rated. Wildly.
(Still.) (Everything.)
86.
87.
88.
89.
You = Calendar. (Calendar. Never. Lies.)
Laugh.
Handshake. (Quantity. Quality.)
Don’t fold your hands in front of your
chest. Ever. (Never.)
90. Grace. (“Works” in biz.)
91. Weird. Wins. (Weird times.)
92. Crazy times. Crazy orgs.
93. Internet. All.
94. Women. Boomers-Geezers. Market. All.
95. Passion.
(Repeat. So what?)
96. Energy.
(Repeat. So what?)
97. Hustle.
(Repeat. So what?)
98. Enthusiasm. (Repeat. So what?)
99. Exuberance. (Repeat. So what?)
100. Smile.
(Repeat. So what?)
101. Care.
(Repeat. So what?)
102. Simplicity. Redundancy. Resilience. Bloodymindedness. Visible optimism. (Success.)
103. Act. (Repeat. So what?)
104. Appreciate. (Repeat. So what?)
105. Fun. (Biz. Why not?)
106. Joy. (Biz. Why not?)
107. Sales = Life.
108. Marketing = Life.
109. Long-term. “Top line.”
110. Great company = Creates the most
individual success stories. (RE/MAX)
111. Talent first, performance byproduct.
112. Sustained Wow* 1, “Shareholder
value,” 0.2 (*Product, People.)
113. Commitment, by invitation only.
114. Creativity, by invitation only.
115. HR = #1. (Ought to.)
116. Face-to-face. (5K miles, 5 minutes.)
117. Negotiation. Make all winners.
(Save face.)
118. Grace makes enemies friends.
119. Network.
120. Invest in relationships. (Think ROIR.
Return On Investment in Relationships.)
118. Relationship investment. Forethought.
Calendar item. Intensity.
119. Innovation. Easy. (Hang out
with weird.)
120. Weird = Win. (Weird times.)
121. “The bottleneck is at the top
of the bottle.”
122. Good Board = Weird Board.
(At least, surprising.)
123. No contention, no progress.
124. “Crucial conversations.” “Crucial
confrontations.” (Study. Learn. Do.)
125. Honest feedback.
126. Gaspworthy. Yes.
127. “Insanely great.”
128. “Astonish me.”
129. “Make it immortal.”
130. “Will you remember it in 20 years?”
131. No small opportunities. (Reframe.)
132. One playmate, one playpen = Enough.
133. End run. Sensible.
134. Allies are there for the finding.
135. Find successes. Build on successes.
(Pos > Neg. Encourage > Fix.)
136. Somebody’s doing it today. Find ’em.
137. Someone is living 2016 in 2006.
(Find ’em. Study ’em.)
138. Don’t “benchmark,” “futuremark.”
(2016. Happening. Somewhere.)
139. “PMA.” It works.
140. There are no experts. (You are the expert.)
141. Life is short.
142. “Sustained success.” Fat chance.
Make today matter. (“Sustained.” Ha.)
143. Collaborate. (Networked world.)
144. Go solo. (Individual. Unit of
Intellectual Capital.)
145. There are no “perfect” plans. (Do. Wins.)
146. Plans motivate. (Right or wrong.
Sense of purpose.)
147. Never rest.
148. Get some sleep.
149. Winning = Embracing paradox.
150. Ambiguity = Opportunity.
151. Resilience.
152. Relentless-ness.
153. None. Above. Comeuppance.
(GM. Sears. U.S. Steel. DEC.)
154. Be yourself. Period.
155. Never work with jerks. Including
customers. (Life. Too short.)
156. Under-promise, over-deliver.
157. Talent. (Powerful word.)
158. “Customer = Anyone whose actions
affect your results.”
159. Competition stinks. (Seek the soft
spots where you can dominate.)
160. K.I.S.S./Keep It Simple, Stupid.
161. Beauty. (Good biz word.)
162. “See the beauty in a hamburger bun.”
(Go. Ray.)
163.
164.
165.
166.
Own up. Quick. ( Denial. Cancer.)
Celebrate. Often.
78 people = 78 approaches. (Each. Unique.)
Weed. Ceaselessly. (Prune. Stupid.
Rules. Non-stop.)
167. Get out of the way. (You = The problem.)
168. Smile. Sunny. Optimism. (If it kills you.)
169. Flowers. (Cheery workplace.)
170. Enjoy. (Or get the hell.)
171. Be intolerant of “sour.” (1 = Major pollution)
172. No “quick trigger” on promotion.
(Too important.)
173. Evaluation = Lots of study-time.
174. Evaluation = “Life or death” to evaluee.
175. “360” evaluation. No fad.
176. Exit when you’re done. (Done.
Sooner than you think.)
177. Today. Now. My Project. Am. Is. I. Period.
178. “Beautiful” systems. (Good biz phrase.
Not oxymoron.)
179. Build on strengths > Fix weaknesses.
180. “To don’t” = “To do.” (“To don’t” >
“To do” ?)
181. Leaders “Do” People. (Period.)
182. Leaders enjoy leading.
183. Serious leadership training = Serious.
184. Priorities. Obvious. (Or else.)
185. 5 “Priorities” = 0 Priorities.
(3 “Priorities” = 0 Priorities?)
186. People. First. Last. Always.
187. It. Is. Always. The. People.
188. Handshake. (Quantity. Quality.)
189. Don’t fold your hands in front of
your chest. Ever. (Never.)
190. Simplicity. Redundancy. Resilience.
Bloody-mindedness. Visible
optimism. (Success.) (Repeat.)
191. Employee Entrance = Guest
Entrance.
192. Put the customer SECOND.
(Thanks, Hal.)
193. Flowers. (Or did I say that before?
No matter if I did.)
194. Big Mergers don’t work. Small
acquisitions can/do work—if you
don’t screw with their energy.
195. Instinctively “head for the front
line.” (In all contexts.)
196. Success = DDMMPR/"D-squared,
M-squared, PR” = DramDiff +
Money-Financial Acumen + Good
“Marketing” Instincts + Stellar People
+ Resilience (The “fab five”: What.
Every. Small. Biz. Needs.) (Big too.)
197. Core Mechanism (“Game-changing
Solutions”): PSF (Professional Service
Firm “model”) + Wow! Projects
(“Different” vs “Better”) + Brand You
(“Distinct” or “Extinct”)
198. 2011/2016 has already happened.
Find it.
199. Kids “know” kids. Oldies “know” oldies.
Women “know” women. (Staff
accordingly.)
200. Everybody is my customer.
201. Cosset “vendors.”
202. I want to run a Housekeeping department.
(And you?)
203. The military doesn’t follow the “military
model.” (Initiative = Excellence.)
204. No such thing as “going to absurd lengths”
to serve the Customer. (HSM & Lefties.)
205. Forget the “customer.” All = “Clients.”
206. It takes decades to get over “sleights.”
(So don’t sleight.)
207. Don’t “dumb down.” Ever.
NO LESS THAN
EXCELLENCE.
EVER.
209. EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
208.
Work In Progress
XXX. One size fits. One. Only. (Evaluations. Period.)
XXX. Teaching. Individualized. Only. (6 billion people =
6 billion learning trajectories.) (Montessori.)
XXX. First impression. Matters. Shapes all that comes.
Hard to overcome. (Understatement.)
XXX. Jerks. Don’t work with. (Life = Too short.)
XXX. Manage [the hell out of] first impressions.
XXX. Last impression. Matters. Dominates memory.
Hard to overcome. (Understatement.)
XXX. Manage [the hell out of] last impressions.
XXX. Plain English.
XXX. K.I.S.S. (450/8.)
XXX. $798. $55,000,000,000. 3,000,000,000.
7AM-7PM. 6:15AM.
XXX. Donnelly Weatherstrip rules.
XXX. Managers do things right. Leaders do the
right thing. NOT.